


Finding Home

by Ttttrickster (iscatterthemintimeandspace)



Series: Finding Home [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Adoption, Amara and Chuck are siblings, Blood, Child Abuse, Dad! Chuck, Foster Care, Gen, Human AU, Medical, Parent Death, Social Worker! Chuck, Violence, mentions of child abuse, possible triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-18 06:26:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13094337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iscatterthemintimeandspace/pseuds/Ttttrickster
Summary: Sometimes Chuck Shurley hated his job. Sure, it was rewarding when he found a good placement for one of his kids, but most of the time, being a social worker was heartbreaking.





	1. Spring

Sometimes Chuck Shurley hated his job. Sure, it was rewarding when he found a good placement for one of his kids, but most of the time, being a social worker was heartbreaking. 

 

It felt like it was always the same kids crossing his desk, the case file just a little bit thicker than last time, documenting their suffering. Most of the cases he dealt with were lifers, hard cases passed onto him by frustrated colleagues and supervisors. Chuck had placed one hard case child and suddenly he was regarded as a miracle worker, the veritable patron saint of lost causes. 

 

He sighed when he saw the pile on his desk. It had grown since yesterday.  He already had enough to deal with, he thought as he sat down on his rickety chair, behind his battered desk to sift through the mess. 

 

Chuck opened the first file, searching for the sticky note he’d left when he’d had to leave early the day before. His middle nephew, Lucifer, had gotten in trouble for the second time in this school year, and he’d had to bring him home. 

 

He never thought it would be easy to take on the responsibility of raising his late sister’s sons, but he’d never thought it would be this hard either. Lucifer fought him at every turn, and Chuck thanked his lucky stars that Michael and Raphael were angels in comparison. There wasn’t a day that went by without a scuffle, and sometimes he fell into bed so frustrated he wanted to cry.

 

Chuck closed the first file, scribbling down his recommendations for his coworker, Naomi. He did the same with the second and third files, leafing through the notes and police reports. He’d grown so numb that most of it didn’t even phase him. 

 

The fourth and fifth files were far better than the first three, updates on kids he’d place in the last year. He smiled as he remembered Benny and Kevin, two little boys he placed with families. Both of them were being adopted. Chuck counted that as a win in the face of all the rest. 

 

By quitting time, he only had one file left, one he’d never had before. In his quick scan of the notes, the poor kid had seen three different social workers, but Chuck didn’t have the strength to look at it. He had to go. So Novak, Gabriel made his way into Chuck’s briefcase to take home. 

 

Chuck couldn’t complain about the commute. It was ten minutes door to door, backroads the whole way. He parked his car in the driveway of his sister's house, and got out.

 

He wasn’t prepared for the chaos that he walked into as he opened the door. The screaming was almost deafening, as his middle nephew shouted at his brothers, red-faced from the exertion.    

 

Michael was similarly red-cheeked, but silent, with Raphael cowering behind his eldest brother. 

 

Lucifer’s Black Sabbath record was in pieces on the floor between them. 

 

“Can we please stop yelling?” Chuck shouted, hanging his bag on the hooks next to the front door. 

 

“He broke my favorite record!” Lucifer shouted, ignoring Chuck’s warning. “Mom gave it to me!” 

 

“He said it was an accident,” Michael replied, his voice strong but even. “He didn’t do it on purpose, Luce.” 

 

“He shouldn’t have been touching it!” Lucifer hissed back angrily. “He’s not allowed to touch my stuff!” 

 

Chuck sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “He’s sorry, Luce,” he managed. “I’ll get you a new one this weekend, okay?” 

 

“Mom gave it to me!” Lucifer repeated, red in the face. “You can’t get another one from her!” 

 

“Lucifer-” Chuck started, but before he could finished his sentence, the boy had already stormed off into his room and closed the door with a loud slam.  

 

He sighed. He knew losing one's mother never got easier but he had at least expected Lucifer to settle in like Michael and Raphael had done. Both boys had been doing well in school, making new friends, joining clubs, but not Lucifer. 

 

His nephew had always been a bit difficult but in that way, he took after Chuck’s late sister, Amara. Chuck loved his twin to pieces, but even he would admit she was difficult. Lucifer was her all over, down to the black sulks and loud, screaming temper tantrums. Michael was good at managing them, but the boy could only do so much. He was barely an adult and had his own troubles to attend to. 

 

Chuck looked to his other two nephews, and went to his knees before Raphael. “I know you didn’t mean to break it, Raphy,” he told the boy gently, holding out his arms. “But let’s not touch Luc’s stuff anymore, yeah?” 

 

His nephew sniffled and buried his face in the collar of Chuck’s coat. At eleven, Raphael was almost too big for Chuck to pick up, but Chuck did it anyway, cradling him against his chest. 

 

“Let’s go make dinner,’ he suggested, looking at Michael. They headed into the kitchen together. 

 

Chuck missed his old kitchen. When his sister had died, it was a no brainer for him to move into her house, and sell his little place. It was easier for the boys, and sometimes it was nice to have a bigger place, but it wasn’t his. 

 

He made sure to keep the kitchen stocked with snacks, healthy and not-so-healthy alike. He tried to encourage healthy eating for growing boys, but he wasn't much of a healthy eater himself. Chuck put Raphael down on a chair. 

 

“How about mac and cheese tonight?” Chuck asked Raphael. “I know it’s your favorite.” 

 

Raphael brightened instantly, nodding. 

 

Chuck went to the fridge and pulled out an onion, the cheese and butter. “Can you grate the cheese for me?”

 

~~~~~

 

After a tense dinner, Chuck went to knock on Lucifer’s door, bearing a bowl of macaroni and cheese. 

 

He knocked three times. “Can I come in?” he asked gently, peeking in through the crack. 

 

Lucifer opened the door, not meeting Chuck’s eyes. “Sure.” 

 

Chuck walked into his nephew’s room, sitting down on his bed. “I brought you dinner,” he put the bowl down on Lucifer’s desk. 

 

“Thanks,” Lucifer said quietly, sitting down next to his uncle. “I’m sorry about before.” 

 

Chuck put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not the person you should be telling.” 

 

“I know. I just… I miss her, you know?” Lucifer admitted, his head hanging. 

 

“I miss her too, Luc,” Chuck responded. “Like I’m missing another part of myself. We didn’t always agree, but she was my sister. All that I had until you guys came along. She wouldn’t want you guys to fight like this.” 

 

Lucifer sunk even lower. “I know.” he leaned against Chuck, with his head on his shoulder. “I’ll apologize to Raphy.” 

 

“Good,” Chuck replied, leaning his head against Lucifer’s. “You know how much he looks up to you and Michael. He wants to be just like you.” 

 

Lucifer chuckled and sat up. “He’ll be better off if he takes after Michael. I’m a fuck up.” 

 

“You’re not a fuck up, Luc,” Gabriel turned to face him. “You’re just… having a harder time adjusting than your brothers.” 

 

Lucifer shook his head. “Is that what to say about your kids at work? You’re an awful social worker.” 

 

It was Chuck’s turn to chuckle now. “You’ll get there, it just takes time. Now C’mon, eat your dinner and go make up with your brother. He needs help with his homework.” 

 

~~~~

 

It wasn’t until after ten p.m that Chuck got a chance to read the file he’d brought home. He sat down in his favorite armchair, with two fingers of whiskey and opened it on his knee. 

 

Gabriel James Novak, was an eight year old boy who had been in and out of foster care since he was about a year old. His mother, Rebecca Rosen was a drug addict and his father, Jimmy died of a heroin overdose when Gabriel was six months old. He’d had three social workers, and had been fostered in four different homes. Chuck had never seen anything like it. 

 

It was the pictures that struck him first, school shots and social worker’s polaroids memorializing the little boy’s descent. The earliest showed a chubby toddler with golden brown eyes, and downy curls at the nape of his neck. He’d been brought in the first time at around 8 months old, when a neighbor heard him crying for hours. Gabriel was around 2 years old in the next one, a skinny boy with a gap tooth smile, knocked out by his mother’s boyfriend of the week. The next set of pictures spanned his years in foster care, lonely birthdays at Crawford Hall, or at whichever foster home he was in at the time. 

 

His eyes went from bright to dull, from the happy trusting gaze of a child to the hardened, sad gaze of one far older than his years. 

 

The reports in his file were conflicted at best. One reported that Gabriel was bright, and charming. The next said he was difficult, and had frequent violent temper tantrums. The rest were mostly vague and unhelpful. The medical reports told a harrowing story of abuse, including broken limbs and “walking into doors.”  The fact that it had been given to him directly told him that his supervisors  considered Gabriel to be a lost cause. 

 

Chuck wasn’t willing to give up that easily. 

 

The next day at work, he took a deep breath before he knocked on Naomi’s door. 

 

“Come it!” she called, but she was finishing a phone call. She waved him in, indicating a chair. 

He sat and waited for her to finish with her call. “How can I help you, Chuck?”

 

“I wanted to talk to you about one of the files you gave me yesterday,” he began. “Gabriel Novak?”

 

Naomi nodded. “Ah, yes. He’s been through what? Three social workers already?”

 

“Yeah, that’s him,” Chuck nodded, leaning forward in his chair. “But I -”

 

“You're not trying to push him off one someone else already, are you?” Naomi eyed him carefully. 

 

“No, it’s not that,” Chuck cut in. “I want to take him, with me. I think I could get through to him. It might be good for him to have some other kids around.” 

 

Naomi regarded him skeptically for a second. “Are you sure?” 

 

Chuck had honestly expected for more push-back. “Very. He’s been through four foster homes, what can it hurt? I have more training and experience than any home we currently have in the system.” 

 

“You’ve read his file?” his supervisor asked. 

 

“Extensively and-” 

 

“You know he’s a problem?” She added. “This isn’t an easy case, Chuck. I know your heart is in the right place, but -”   
  


“I can handle it,” Chuck insisted. He wasn’t leaving until she said yes. He could help Gabriel Novak, he knew he could. “I can make a difference in his life. Please, let me help him.” 

 

Naomi considered him for a minute and sighed. “Alright, but this is on you. Don’t make me regret saying yes to this.” 

 

“Naomi, I won’t,” Chuck tried to stop the smile that spread over his face. “You won’t regret this!” 

 

~~~

Chuck drove after work Friday to pick up Gabriel. After his last placement fell through, he was placed in a group home, a way station for kids between placements. With his history, Gabriel would be very familiar with Crawford Hall. 

  
  


He parked in the front, and strolled in, signing in at the reception desk. He’d been here a couple of times, mostly to talk to some of his kids, or for meetings with the staff. It wasn't a very homey place over all, a too little shabby and austere to be comfortable. 

 

Chuck  made his way down the hall into the day room, only to find himself in the middle of war zone. 

 

There were nurse and attendants everywhere, and the other children were either trying to escape or pressed against the walls, their eyes wide with fear. 

 

In the middle of the room, a small boy was on the floor, kicking and screaming and banging his head against the floor with such force Chuck worried he was going to hurt himself. Gabriel’s face was red with the force of his screaming, and his cheeks were blotchy from crying. His fists were squeezed tight and white-knuckled as he aimed his punches at the people around him and then, when that failed, himself. 

 

Chuck had seen tantrums before, Lucifer had been famous for them when he was young, but this was something he had not been prepared for. Finally, one of the male attendant’s managed to get close enough to take Gabriel’s hands and stop him from hurting himself. The boy fought even harder, smashing his head into the floor again with a resounding crack. The attendant picked Gabriel up into his arms, and he stopped struggling, melting into his shoulder as the man stood up. He hurried from the room, and Chuck was left alone in the chaos. 

 

One of the women turned to him, and greeted him with a smile. “You must be Mr. Shurley,” she began. “I’m Hannah Johnson, the resident social worker. If you could just follow me, we can talk in my office.” 

 

Chuck followed her down the hall into a cramped corner office. The chair he took had seen better days, but it would do just fine. 

 

“So that was Gabriel Novak,” Chuck began, as Hannah pulled Gabriel’s file from her drawer. 

 

She set it on her desk and flipped it open. “Yes, that’s Gabriel,” she responded. “He’s been here a couple of times before, but it got worse after his last placement.” 

 

“What happened? I mean, what triggered the tantrum?” Chuck asked. “Does he have them often?” 

 

Hannah looked up. “This time? One of the other social workers asked him to go get ready to leave, and he didn’t want to. He has them a couple times a week over various things.” 

 

“Has he ever seriously hurt anyone?” Chuck questioned. 

 

“No,” Hannah responded, flipping the page of his file again. “Most of it is aimed towards himself. He’s had to go to the emergency room a couple of times for stitches, but so far it’s only been superficial injuries.” 

 

“Where did they take him?” Chuck wanted to know. “Can I go talk to him before I take him?” 

 

“You still want him after that?” Hannah replied. “He’s a problem case. Unadoptable.” 

 

Chuck was liking Hannah less and less with each word she spoke. “Yes, I do. I knew what I was getting into, and I specialize in problem cases.” He stood up. “Where is he?” 

 

“Down the hall in the infirmary,” she told him. “His things are packed. I’ll have someone bring them to you.”

 

“Thank you,” Chuck said politely, getting up from his chair and walking out of the office. 

 

The infirmary wasn’t hard to find. Chuck could smell the chemicals they used to clean it a mile off. When he entered, Gabriel was sitting on a small plastic chair holding an ice pack to his forehead. His face was still red, but he was no longer crying, and he looked deflated. 

 

Chuck sat down gently on the tiny chair next to him. 

 

“Hello Gabriel,” He said quietly, looking over at the little boy. He was immediately struck by how small he was. He looked like he was all skin and bone, made even smaller by the overly large hand-me-down sweater and jeans he was wearing. “My name is Chuck, you’re going to be coming home with me.” 

 

Gabriel regarded warily him with haunted golden eyes, large and bright on his gaunt face. “You’re my new foster?” he asked. “You’re not a girl.” 

 

“No, I’m not. I’m a social worker,” Chuck explained. “You’re gunna live with me and my nephews for awhile, as long as you want. We have a room all set up for you and everything.” 

 

“Until you get tired of me,” Gabriel responded in a small voice. “They all get tired of me, and I come back here.” 

 

Chuck shook his head. “You’re not coming back here, ever,” he told him, with a burst of confidence. “I promise.” 

 

Gabriel didn’t look convinced, and he was quiet, as the orderly poked his head into the office and handed Chuck Gabriel’s small backpack. 

 

“Time to go, buddy,” Chuck said, standing up. Gabriel took his backpack from him and walked out of the infirmary still holding the ice pack. 

 

Chuck’s heart broke as he watched Gabriel shuffled down the hall. He looked so defeated for one so young, and in that moment, Chuck vowed that he would do whatever he had to to see him smile. No child deserved to go through what Gabriel Novak had been through. 

 

After signing the paperwork, Chuck bundled Gabriel into the car, strapping him into the front seat. His bag of things was almost pitiful and Chuck made a mental note to take him shopping after he’d settled in. None of the boys clothing would fit him, even though Raphael was only a couple years older and small for his age. 

 

Chuck pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street, lost in making his mental list. By the time he got to the end of the street and turned to ask Gabriel want he would like for dinner, the boy was fast asleep. 

 

Poor kid probably hadn't gotten much sleep with sharing a room with three other children, and Chuck didn't have the heart to wake him, even when they got home. He simply picked the sleeping boy up, cradling him against his shoulder and carried him inside. 

 

His nephews were waiting in the living room, and Chuck put a finger over his mouth as he crept up the stairs to the bedroom he’d prepared for Gabriel. Michael, Lucifer and Raphael had been working since Chuck told them about Gabriel to get the room ready. Raphael, excited by no longer being the youngest, had happily donated some of his old toys and books. Michael and Lucifer had actually worked together to make sure the room was painted and furnished with some of their old things. 

 

Chuck laid the little boy down in bed and took his shoes off. He tucked him into bed, and pressed a kiss to his temple. 

 

“Goodnight Gabriel.” 

 


	2. Summer

Settling Gabriel in was much harder than Chuck had expected. He had figured without the added stress of adjusting to a new school, getting Gabriel integrated into his family unit would be easy, he just hadn’t accounted for Gabriel’s force of will. 

 

Lucifer had been stubborn as a child, but Gabriel took it to a new level. Once he had decided not to do something, there was nothing Chuck could do to change his mind. 

 

There were times when Gabriel would just exploded into violent temper tantrums, kicking and biting anyone who got close to him. Chuck had learned to just let him wear himself out after a trip to the emergency room when Gabriel’s teeth had broken the skin. He was lucky that he hadn’t gone after the other boys, but they had learned to keep their distance when Gabriel was in one of his moods. 

 

It became quickly apparent to Chuck that all the reports he’d read by the former social workers were right. He hadn’t thought that it was possible for one child to be so sweet one moment, and the next have some of the most violent temper tantrums that he had ever witnessed. The first thing he had done other than buying Gabriel new toys and clothing, was to find him a good therapist, who specialised in difficult cases. Chuck prided himself on being good at his job, but with Gabriel he was so far out his depth, he didn’t want to risk accidentally making anything worse than it already was. 

 

His nephew, Michael had gotten a job for the summer in order to save for college, so it fell to Lucifer to watch Raphael and Gabriel while Chuck was at work. It was lucky that Gabriel had taken an immediate liking to his middle nephew, and that Naomi was understanding if Chuck needed to take care of some emergency, like when Gabriel locked himself in the bathroom and turned all the water on, he could run home if he needed to. 

 

On the weekends, he tried to spend time with all of the boys, but Michael and Lucifer, freed from the constraints of responsibility, were understandably scarce. 

 

It was late June when Chuck took Raphael and Gabriel to the local public pool. Raphael had been swimming since he was a baby, and he raced off to find his friends the moment they stepped out of the changing room, leaving Gabriel behind. 

 

It was no secret to Chuck that his youngest nephew had not taken to Gabriel like Lucifer or Michael had, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. In the beginning, Raphael had tried to be nice to Gabriel, but every attempt had been met with screaming and tears, and eventually Raphael had given up.

 

Chuck lead Gabriel towards the shallow end of the pool and found them a beach chair to put their things on.  Gabriel looked at him, swallowed and sat down. 

 

“C’mon, let’s go in. I bet the water feels good,” Chuck tempted, but Gabriel didn’t move. 

 

“Nuh-uh,” Gabriel shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll stay here.” 

 

Chuck knew better than to ask again. Showing him how much fun something could be worked better than just telling him. Once he saw Chuck and Raphael having fun, he would want to join in. 

 

Chuck sat down on the side of the pool and slipped into the cool water. He kept his eyes on Gabriel as he dipped into the water to wet his shoulders. “Gabe, the water is warm!” he told him, splashing a little. But the boy stayed rooted in his spot under the beach umbrella. 

 

He dunked his head under the water, and came up again. Gabriel was seated on his towel, glancing at the other pool goers splash and play in the water. Raphael and his friends swam over, and Chuck began to throw them into the water, hoping the horseplay and laughter would lure Gabriel to at least put his feet in, but the boy didn’t move. He sat like a statue on his towel, watching everyone with his big golden eyes. 

 

Chuck wasn’t giving up quite yet. He swam towards the deep end, trailing children in his wake as Raphael and his friends shrieked and whooped. He climbed out of the pool and made for the diving board. 

 

“Hey Gabe!” he yelled, waving at him with a big smile. “Watch this!” he said, before bouncing and diving into the pool. When he surfaced, the boy hadn’t moved, but there was a small quirk in his lip, like he was fighting the urge to smile. That was something.

 

Something he could work with. 

 

~~~~

 

The next time they went to the pool, Chuck stacked the deck in his favor. He brought Lucifer with him, knowing that Gabriel was more likely to get in if he was there. Chuck knew Lucifer had agreed purely so he could ogle the scantily clad girls, but Chuck took a win wherever he could get one. 

 

Chuck had tried talking to Gabriel about it at home, but the boy had been less than receptive. He just shrugged and said he didn’t like water, which Chuck knew was a lie, because he loved to play in the sprinkler and the slip-n-slide they’d dragged out of the shed. It was the pool, not just the water that was the problem. 

 

He’d  also spoken with Gabriel’s therapist beforehand, and he said that baby steps was the best way to go. Gabriel hadn’t had much in the way of choice in the past, and Chuck giving him that option, would be good for him overall. After what he’d been through, he needed a chance to relearn what he knew about adults. 

 

Chuck packed a big lunch for the pool, sandwiches, potato salad and of course, plenty of sweets and chips for his brood to enjoy. But when he went to get Gabriel from his room, he was still laying in bed, with his blanket pulled up to his chin. 

 

“I don’t feel good,” he told Chuck. “I’ll stay home.” 

 

Chuck sat down on the edge of the bed, and hesitated. He wanted to take Gabriel’s temperature, but Gabriel often flinched when he was touched. “Can I put my hand on your head?” he asked, and Gabriel nodded. Chuck slowly put the back of his hand against his forehead. “Well you don’t feel warm, but maybe we should stay home,” he got up and headed towards the door. “I’ll go tell Luc that we can’t go to the pool.” 

 

Gabriel sat up at once. “Luc is coming? I think I’m feeling better,” he told Chuck, flinging his blankets off. 

 

“Come down when you’re finished getting ready. I have pancakes for you.” Chuck laughed and got up. 

 

He pretended not to hear the whoop when he closed the door. 

 

By the time everyone was ready and out the door, it was nearly lunchtime, and the pool was crowded, but that was alright. Raphael was spending the day with one of his friends so it was just Chuck, Lucifer and Gabriel. After they’d staked a claim on a chair and umbrella, Lucifer wasted no time in getting into the water, taking a running leap into the pool. 

 

“Canonballlll!” he yelled, as he curled his body and hit the water with a loud splash. Chuck groaned, as several women shrieked at being splashed, but Gabriel was giggling. 

 

He stood on the edge of the pool, watching Lucifer with his eyes full of longing. It was clear to Chuck that he wanted to go in, wanted to follow Lucifer but something was holding him back. 

 

Very gently, Chuck got down on his knee next to him. “Do you want to get in?” 

 

Gabriel sniffled, and wiped his nose on his arm. “No,” he insisted, but the look on his face told a very different story. 

 

“What’s wrong, Gabriel?” he asked. “You can tell me.” 

 

“No,” Gabriel sniffled again. “You’ll return me.” 

 

Chuck’s heart broke a little at that. Gabriel seemed to be convinced that Chuck was looking for a reason to bring him back to Crawford Hall, that a moment of weakness would send him back. Chuck shook his head. “I’m not going to return you, Gabe,” he reassure him. “You’re with us forever, if you want to be.” 

 

Gabriel looked over at him, and Chuck could see the tears clinging to his lashes. He hesitated for a moment, as if he was debating telling him, but finally he spoke. “I can’t swim.” 

 

Chuck had figured as much, but it was a big step for Gabriel to tell him on his own. He barely opened up about anything, even to ask for something he needed. “That’s okay,” Chuck assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder, and for once the boy didn’t shrink away from him. “I can teach you, if you’d like. Then you can play with Lucifer.” 

 

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed. 

 

In the end, Chuck only succeeded in getting Gabriel to sit on the edge of the pool and dangle his feet in the water, but it was farther that he’d gotten from the towel last time. Step by step, Chuck would get him in. Baby steps. 

 

~~~~~~

 

Another sunny Saturday found Gabriel and Chuck at the public pool bright and early, this time alone. Gabriel seemed more anxious as they neared the edge of the water, having putting their things down on their normal beach chair. 

 

Chuck started in the shallow end of the pool, and Gabriel got as far as water up to his thighs before he balked. Chuck could see the fear in his body, as his little shoulders hunched forward and he curled in on himself. 

 

“Gabriel,” he said slowly. “It’s okay. I got you. You can do this.” 

 

Gabriel looked liked he wanted to get out and run towards the blanket, but instead he took a step closer to the Chuck and farther from the edge of the pool. 

 

Chuck held out his hands for the boy to take. “You can do it, buddy,” Chuck smiled at him. “I believe in you.” 

 

Gabriel uncurled at once, looking at Chuck with his big golden eyes. It was as if he’d never heard those words before, as if he didn’t quite know what to do with them. Then without warning, Gabriel flung himself into Chuck’s arms, throwing all of his prior caution to the wind. 

 

Chuck couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him. “Good job!” he praised him, holding Gabriel underneath his arms. “I told you you could do it. Now start kicking!” 

 

“You won’t let go?” Gabriel asked quietly, his hands digging into Chuck’s forearms as he held on for dear life. 

 

“No,” Chuck confirmed, pulling him out  further. “Not until you tell me you’re ready to.” 

 

Gabriel seemed to accept the answer, because he started kicking furiously, splashing them both with water. 

 

“Slow down, kiddo,” Chuck said. “Okay, first straighten your legs all the way out, that’s good. Now kick, kick, kick!” 

 

Even if Gabriel didn’t let go of Chuck’s arms during the next three hours at the pool, getting him in the water, and seeing his face light up when Chuck praised him, was victory enough. 

 

~~~~

 

Chuck wasn’t above bribery when it came to Lucifer. If it cost him an extra twenty here and there, or a tank of gas, it was a drop of water in the bucket when it came to getting Gabriel into the pool. 

 

Chuck was convinced that his prior success on getting Gabriel in the water was a fluke. The boy had resisted every attempt since then. He refused to wear floaties, wouldn’t hold onto a pool noodle and would not under any circumstances get into the kiddie pool. All three scenarios had ended in violent tantrums, but Chuck refused to give up. He’d had a little luck when they practiced at home on the floor, but he needed to get Gabriel into the water. 

 

Gabriel was convinced that at any moment, Chuck was going to drop him back at Crawford Hall and never look back. The other social workers thought Gabriel was unadoptable, a problem child, but as far as Chuck was concerned, no child was ever unadoptable and for Gabriel’s sake, he was going to prove them all wrong. 

 

With Lucifer in tow, they took off for the pool with a cooler full of sugary drinks and snacks for the day. Gabriel was already having a hard day, a squabble with Raphael leaving him anxious and on edge. Chuck had managed to calm both boys down and talk it out between them, but the tension was still so thick you could cut it with a knife. 

 

Both Lucifer and Chuck got into the water, each swimming a little before Gabriel made his way to the steps. From the way he was holding himself, Chuck could tell he was on the verge of another tantrum, but for some reason, he didn’t erupt. 

 

He walked out into the water, gingerly at first, but then with increasing confidence. Chuck came closer and took his hands. Gabriel looked to Lucifer, as he tugged Gabriel further into the water. He clamped down tight on Chuck’s arms, his chin quivering as he was brought out further and further. 

 

“Gabriel,” Chuck began, smiling at him, trying to make him feel at ease. “You remember how we practiced big arms at home?” 

 

Gabriel nodded at him, his bottom lip quivering only a little. 

 

“We’re gunna practice big arms here, okay?” Chuck told him. “I’m gunna hold your waist and you’re going to do big arms and kick to Luc.” 

 

Gabriel clamped on more tightly, but then relaxed. He allowed Chuck to hold him around the middle, his golden eyes fixed firmly on Lucifer. His hesitance from before as gone as he settled into Chuck’s embrace. 

 

“C’mon buddy,” Chuck cheered him on as the boy started to kick furiously. “Just like we practiced. Big arms. That’s good,” he praised. Gabriel’s arms were all over the place but he was doing it. “I believe in you.” 

 

Chuck held on tightly as he steered Gabriel towards Lucifer, but Gabriel was trying to wiggle out of his reach. 

 

“Let go,” he requested, looking over his shoulder at Chuck. 

 

“You sure?” Chuck hesitated, he didn’t want Gabriel to think he had to impress him. “We can keep practicing. There’s no rush.” 

Gabriel regarded him with big eyes. “I can do it,” he told him, with so much conviction it was hard to believe the voice was that of a nine year old boy. “Please.” 

 

Chuck let go. 

 

Gabriel faltered at first, sinking down in the water, but soon, he started to use what Chuck had taught him. He came back to the top, splashing all over as he swam shakily towards Lucifer, a look of determination etched in his features. 

 

Lucifer held out his hands to Gabriel and he swam into them, and then Chuck heard something he thought he was never going to hear. Gabriel was laughing. 

 

Luc lifted Gabriel into the air, and his laughter rang out across the pool. No one else stopped to listen, but Chuck took it all in. It was a beautiful sound, high and tinkling, a noise of pure delight.  

 

The fact that after all he'd been through, Gabriel could still laugh at a simple pleasure like learning to swim, kindled hope in Chuck that he could be helped, that any child could be reached, that they could be saved.  

 

It was that hope he held onto in the tough days to come. 


	3. Fall

Transitioning Gabriel from summer into the school year was about as hard as he expected it to be, with every two steps forward being countered with one step back. There were days Chuck wanted to pull his hair out, days when he had to excuse himself to scream into a pillow in frustration, but he wouldn’t give up. 

 

Even though Gabriel was still prone to tantrums, with the extensive help of his therapist, he was already making great strides forward from the scared little boy that Chuck had picked up at Crawford Hall almost six months prior. He was beginning to get along better with Raphael, something that made Chuck’s  home life that much easier, as Raphael was only two grades ahead of Gabriel, and helped him on and off the school bus, and sometimes with his homework.

 

School was a different story. Because of the pace at which the boy was forced to switch schools, he was reading and writing way under the level he should, and Gabriel was very sensitive about it. Any suggestions of additional help, or classes, was met with tears and fists, to the point where Chuck was being called into school every other day to pick him up after he’d gotten into fights with other students over their teasing. 

 

His teacher recommended homeschooling, but Chuck wasn’t having it. Being around other kids was good for him, and his therapist agreed, however, she suggested switching to another school nearby that specialized in difficult kids like Gabriel. Chuck thought Gabriel would fight the idea, like he had everything else related to his schooling, but once Chuck sat down and explained to him what was going on and why it would be better for him, he was surprised when Gabriel agreed. 

 

The road was still bumpy after that, but Chuck had found that if he gave Gabriel choices in matters, even if it was choosing what to eat for dinner, or what toothpaste they bought at the store, he was much more likely to behave. 

 

Little by little, there was progress being made, both by Gabriel and by everyone as a family unit. Gabriel laughed more, and Chuck was happy to note in his file and he seemed to be on his way to recovery. 

 

He should have known it wouldn’t last. 

 

~~~~~~~

 

Chuck was having a great week. It was Friday afternoon, and he hadn't been called to school once, Gabriel hadn’t fought him about eating his vegetables, or doing his homework, and his case queue was at a manageable level.  Life was good. 

 

Then he got back to to his office after lunch to find Naomi sitting at his desk. 

 

“Hey Naomi,” he smiled at her nervously. “What can I do for you?” 

 

Naomi got up from his chair and settled into the chair he kept for his visitors. “We need to talk, Chuck.” 

 

Chuck had always hated those words. They always meant something bad, and already he felt like he wanted to throw up. “Is this about the Johnson case? I promise I’ll have the report on your desk by Monday morning. I’ll work all weekend if I have to, things were a little crazy. Gabriel had a class project, and Lucifer had driver’s ed and -” 

 

“Rebecca Rosen is sober,” Naomi cut him off. “She convinced a judge to let her have a second crack at being a parent.” 

 

Chcuk’s heart stuttered in his chest. While their ultimate goal was reuniting their charges with their families, Gabriel had made so much progress and going back to Rebecca Rosen would only undo all the work he’d done. Chuck didn’t trust the woman as far as he could throw her. 

 

“Is there anything we can do?” He asked, before he could stop himself. 

 

“Chuck, our goal is to reunite children with their parents, you know that. I know you’ve gotten attached to him but-” 

 

“How many times has she fallen off the wagon?” Chuck snapped at his supervisor. “How many boyfriends did she allow to hurt him? How many more times can the system fail him, Naomi?” 

 

Chuck froze when he fully realized what he had done, yelled at his boss. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have- I’ll- I’m sorry.” 

 

Naomi just offered him a sad smile. “There’s nothing we can do,” she told him. “We can’t go against the judge’s order on this. I can give you the weekend, but by Monday, she’s coming here to pick him up.” 

 

“What am I supposed to tell him, Naomi?” Chuck asked, sinking back into his chair. “I told him he’d never have to leave unless he wanted to. How can she just keep doing this to him?” 

 

“It’s the law. She’s jumped through every hoop the judge set for her. She’s taken parenting classes, and she’s done well so far with his brother…” 

 

“She has another child?” Chuck asked. 

 

“Yes, according to the court transcript, his name is Uriel,” Naomi replied. “He’s a year old. He has never been in the system. It would seem she’s changed, and she wants a second chance to make it right for Gabriel.” 

 

Chuck bit back the bitter words that were growing on his tongue. How nice it was that she finally got her act together, after all she’d put Gabriel through. No matter what the court said, Chuck didn’t trust her, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t biologically his father, which would be the only way he could challenge the court’s ruling. He couldn’t very well claim she was an unfit parent simply because of what she’d done in the past. Naomi was right, their mission had always been to return children to their parents, but in this case, Chuck could not bring himself to agree. 

 

“Can I… uh… can I leave early?” Chuck asked, running a hand through his curly hair. “I’m going to pick him up from school before the others get home.” 

 

Naomi got up from the chair and nodded. “You do whatever you feel you need to do.” she said, “It’ll be alright, Chuck.” she told him before walking out of his cramped office.

 

Now he had to figure out how he was going to tell Gabriel.  

 

~~~

 

Gabriel was happy to see him when he picked him up at his school. He had had a good day, and his teacher had allowed him to pick a prize from the prize bucket. He’d picked a card game and he was excitedly telling Chuck about how he wanted to play with Raphael and Lucifer when they got home. 

 

Gabriel didn’t realize something was up until after they pulled up in front of the ice cream stand. Whenever they went for ice cream, it was everyone, and never just him unless they had to talk. Chuck slowly got out of the car and Gabriel trailed behind him, his head hanging sadly. Chuck ordered their usual and sat down at the picnic table. 

 

Gabriel didn’t look at him, he didn’t eat his ice cream. He just sat and stared down at his lap. 

 

“Gabe,” Chuck started. “I-” 

 

“You’re sending me back, aren’t you?” Gabriel croaked, looking up at him finally with tears pouring down his face. “I wasn’t good enough. Please, please, don’t send me back, I’ll be good. I’ll  be-” 

 

He broke down sobbing, and Chuck scooped him into his lap. It was a gesture hard won, it had taken months for Chuck to be able to touch him with Gabriel flinching or fighting him, but now the boy just melted into him.

 

“I’ll be good,” he cried, burying his face in Chuck’s shirt. “I’ll be good.” 

 

Chuck’s heart broke right then and there, and for a moment, all he could do was rock Gabriel and hold him tighter to his chest. He didn’t want to give him up but there was nothing he could do. No judge would ever give him custody of him, he would lose his job if he didn’t return him to his mother. 

 

“You’re not going back to Crawford Hall, Gabe,” Chuck said slowly, holding the tears in his own voice back. “I promised you wouldn’t. I keep my promises,” Gabriel stopped crying, and looked up at Chuck. “Your… mom. Your mom is better now,” he told him. “You have a brother. She wants to take you home.” 

 

Gabriel’s lip wobbled but he didn’t cry anymore, his immediate fear assuaged. He wiped his cheeks with the heel of his hand. “W-when do I have to go?” 

 

Chuck loosened his hold on him a little. “Monday, I’ll pick you up from school early and we’ll meet your mom and brother for lunch.” 

 

“Do I have to?” Gabriel asked, in a small voice. He made no moves to get off of Chuck’s lap, just leaned against him more. “Don’t want to.”

 

“You have to try,” Chuck said hesitantly. “She’s your mom, and she’s trying really hard to be a good one. You have a baby brother now. Don’t you want to meet him?”

 

“Babies are stinky,” Gabriel insisted, his lower lip poking out as he pouted. 

 

Chuck allowed himself a laugh. “Babies are fun too. You can help him walk and teach him things.” 

 

“Are you gunna visit me?” he asked next, reaching for his rapidly melting ice cream. 

 

“Of course,” Chuck told him. “Any time you want. I’ll give you my phone number too. You can call me for anything, Gabriel.” 

 

Chuck’s answer seemed to reassure him and he began to eat his triple chocolate hot fudge sundae with two cherries at a breakneck speed. Chuck only wished he could reassure himself.    
  


The rest of the weekend went much too fast for Chuck’s liking. They spent the time all five of them, doing things Gabriel loved to do. They went to the movies, the arcade, they got pizza and even took a trip to the candy store, wanting to make the most of the time they had left together. The mood was somber, and even Raphael who hadn’t liked Gabriel in the beginning of his stay with them, was sullen over the thought of him leaving. 

 

Before Chuck knew it, it was Sunday night and Gabriel was bathed and in his pajamas, waiting for his story. Chuck got his favorite book , Make Way for Ducklings, off the shelf and sat down on the end of the bed. 

 

Gabriel regarded him with hims luminous golden eyes. “You look sad,” he said, sitting up. 

 

“I am sad,” Chuck admitted. “I’m going to miss you, but I’m happy you get to be with your family.” 

 

Gabriel opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, and snuggled closer to Chuck. Chuck began to read, savoring the small moment of closeness before it was gone. He just  hoped Becky would appreciate it.

 

~~~~

 

Chuck picked up Gabriel from school at around eleven a.m to go meet his mother. They had agreed to meet at Gabriel’s favorite burger place, and they would go from there. Chuck had brought a suitcase of the things Gabriel would need that night. There would be time to drop of the rest of his stuff later. 

 

Becky was not there when they arrived, so Chuck sat down with Gabriel in a corner booth, and ordered him a chocolate milkshake with whipped cream and a cherry. He normally wouldn’t have given in, but if this was his last meal as his guardian, he was going to make it count. 

 

Five minutes passed, and then ten and then fifteen, and by thirty, Chuck was seething with anger. He ordered himself a milkshake, and Gabriel a hamburger by the time Becky walked in with a solemn looking baby balanced on her hip. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” she chirped, sliding in next to Gabriel. “I got stuck in traffic.”

 

Chuck didn’t believe her for a minute, but he swallowed his anger for Gabriel’s sake. He had to do what was best for Gabriel’s transition, and yelling at his flake of a mother wasn’t it. 

 

Gabriel was staring at his mother like he’d seen a ghost, his mouth hanging open a little, his eyes almost popping out of his head. He’d been young the last time he’d seen her, and Chuck was surprised that he even remembered what she looked like. 

 

“Gabriel,” Chuck started. “You can say hello, buddy.” 

 

“Hi,” Gabriel squeaked as if on command. 

 

“Hi, Gabby,” Becky responded, and Chuck cringed internally at the fake tone in her voice. “I’m your mommy, do you remember me? We’re gunna be a happy family now, okay?” 

 

Gabriel nodded, and looked to Chuck, who smiled back at him, even as he swallowed his revulsion. 

 

“This is Uriel then?” Chuck steered the conversation, holding out a hand to the baby. The baby regarded him with large dark eyes, but didn’t smile or coo. 

 

Becky nodded. “That’s him. Where is Gabby’s stuff? We should be getting home. We’re having a special dinner at home.” 

 

Chuck frowned. They'd agreed to have lunch, not pick him up and run. “What happened to lunch?” he asked. “We talked about this on the phone.” He kept his tone even. The last thing he needed was to make Gabriel upset. 

 

“The woman at the agency said I could just take him, so that’s what I’m doing. You must be busy anyway, being a social worker and all,” Becky responded, shifting the baby. “I don’t want to take up anymore of your time. Are his things in your car?” 

 

Chuck clenched his jaw, but Gabriel was looking at him. “Yes they are, just let me pay the bill.” he told her, taking his wallet out of his pocket and leaving money on the table. “We can walk out and I’ll give it to you. I can stop by later this week with the rest of his things.”

 

Becky got up and shifted Uriel again. “Oh you won’t need to. He won’t need any of it. He’s got his own things at my house.” 

 

Chuck looked at Gabriel, to avoid snapping at the woman. Gabriel was what was important, he was doing this for Gabriel. Gabriel reached for his hand and he took it, as they walked out of the restaurant. Chuck unlocked his car and allowed Gabriel to climb into to grab his bag. 

 

“I put my number in your journal,” Chuck told him, quietly so Becky couldn’t hear him.. “You call me if you need anything, anything at all, okay?” 

 

Gabriel nodded furiously as he climbed back out, hefting the bag onto his back. “Okay,” he agreed, and he began to walk towards his mother. 

 

Becky smiled and waved at Chuck as she took Gabriel’s hand and steered him towards her car. 

 

Something inside him urged him to run after him, to tell her that there had been a mistake and that he was taking Gabriel home with him, but he smothered it. 

 

Becky began to drive away, and Chuck watched as Gabriel waved at him through the back window.  He watched until they were out of sight, wanting with all his heart to run after them. He got into his car, and sat for a moment, unable to stop the tears from coming. 

 

Even though this was what they were supposed to do, Chuck couldn’t shake the feeling he’d failed. 


	4. Winter

Chuck only held out two days before he called Becky to make sure Gabriel was settling in okay. His first two calls went to the answering machine, but on the third, Becky picked up. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Hey Becky,” Chuck started. “It’s Chuck, I was just calling to see how Gabriel’s settling in.” 

 

Her tone immediately got flat. “He’s fine,” she told him. “Listen, You called at a bad time, I gotta go.” 

 

Chuck tried to respond, but then he heard the click of the phone in his ear. He couldn’t do anythings else. Gabriel’s case had been transferred to another social worker who specialized in children reunited with their parents. As far as the agency was concerned, the matter was no longer Chuck’s business. He was expected to go back to his caseload with a smile on his face, and trust in the system, but that was something he couldn’t do. 

 

Without another option, Thursday morning found him waiting outside Sarah Blake's door, watching the seconds tick down on his watch. She smiled when she saw him leaning against the wall, and she reached into her bag to get her keys. 

 

“Good morning,” She told him as she unlocked her door and pushed in. “I’m guessing this is about George?” 

 

“Gabriel, but yeah,”Chuck smiled sheepishly. “Have you been to visit?” 

 

Sarah out her bag down on her desk, and shrugged her coat off, hanging it on the coat tree next to her door. “He’s only been there since Monday afternoon, Chuck. We don’t normally visit until at least two weeks out.” 

 

“He’s a high risk case,” Chuck insisted, too worked up to bother sitting down. There was something that didn’t sit right about all of this, and he wanted to make sure it was just a figment of his paranoid imagination, instead of a real issue. “And Becky hasn’t been picking up my calls.” 

 

“You’re not his social worker anymore,” Sarah gently reminded him. “She doesn’t have to. I know this is hard for you. He’s been living with you for months, and you care about him, but everything is going to be alright.” 

 

Chuck wished he could shake it off as easily as that, just keep going on with his life. But he’d promised Gabriel it would be okay, and he didn’t break his promises, especially not to children that depended on his judgement for their safety. “He hasn’t called me either.” 

 

Sarah laughed. “He probably is so caught up, he forgot. He’s a child, short attention span. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll stop by next week and do a status report. How does that sound?” 

 

Even though Chuck didn’t appreciate her patronizing tone, there was little he could do. “Thank you,” he replied. “Sorry for bothering you.” he turned on his heel and walked out. He felt so helpless as he went back to his office. Something felt wrong, and it wasn’t just his dislike of Becky. 

 

Chuck threw himself back into his work, hoping that it would distract him from the sinking feeling in his gut. The mood at home reflected his mood at work, his boys having grown attached to Gabriel in his time there. All four of them moped around the house for the first couple of days, although none of them wanted to talk about it. 

 

The next week passed with no updates from Sarah, not a word, not an email, nothing, and Chuck began to get antsy. Finally he stopped by her desk again, hoping his presence would remind her of what she’d promised. 

 

He rapped on the door three times before it opened. 

 

“Hey Chuck,” Sarah smiled at him. “I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you, I’ve been busy and-” 

 

“How did the visit go?” Chuck wasn’t wasting any time, enough had been wasted already. 

 

Sarah’s smile faltered just a little. “I haven’t had a chance to get over there. I’ve been busy, you know how it is.” 

 

Chuck’s nostrils flared as anger filled his belly. “No, I don’t know how it is,” he snapped. “He’s a high risk case, and she’s fallen off the wagon before,” he reminded her. “He could be in trouble.” 

 

“Chuck, I understand that you care about Gregory, but-” 

 

“Gabriel,” he corrected through gritted teeth. “His name is Gabriel. He’s nine years old and the system has failed him enough. So go visit him and do your damn job!” 

 

Chuck knew immediately he’d overstepped his boundaries, but his point remained the same. He didn’t even say sorry as he retreated through Sarah’s open door and down the hall to his office. 

 

It was no surprise to him when Naomi called him to her office the next morning. 

 

“Chuck, will you sit please?” she asked politely, and Chuck sat, trying to stifle the sinking feeling in his stomach. He was going to get fired, he could just feel it. 

 

“I’m sorry about what happened yesterday,” he began, running a hand through his hair. He didn’t know how he was going to tell the boys he’d lost his job. He’d allowed his temper to get the better of him, and now he’d lost the remaining connection to Gabriel. How could he help him if he couldn’t have any contact? “I was out of line and there was no excuse for it. I’ll clean out my desk.” 

 

Naomi blinked at him. “I’m not firing you, Chuck.” 

 

“Wait, you’re not?” he asked. “Not that I’m not happy to hear that but I yelled at a coworker.” 

 

“It’s almost like you want me to fire you,” Naomi said in an amused tone, her eyebrow raised. “I’m not going to say what you did was right, or appropriate for work, but I understand why you did it. We’ll make sure the system doesn’t fail Gabriel again, alright?” she told him. “But no more harassing coworkers, and you’re taking a couple days off to spend with your boys. This whole thing can’t have been easy on them either. By Monday, I’ll make sure Sarah visits him, and you’ll get the full report.” 

 

Even though Chuck did not want to take the time off, he knew he was in no position to argue with his boss. She was right, he needed to spend time with his nephews. “That sounds fine. Thank you Naomi,” he replied. It was better than nothing, and with Naomi on Sarah’s back, Chuck knew she wouldn’t put the visit off again.   

 

Chuck walked away feeling a little better but not much, adrenaline still thrumming in his veins from the confrontation. He felt shaky as he got into his car and drove home, unaware of the horror that was to come. 

 

~~~~

The phone was ringing. 

 

Chuck rolled over and groaned as he reached over to get it. “Hello?”

 

“Chuck!” Gabriel coughed into the phone. “I need help.” 

 

Chuck sat up like a shot. “Gabriel, where are you? Where is your mother?” His heart was already pounding, and he began to dress quickly, not even looking at what he was putting on. 

 

“I don’t… know,” he coughed again. “She went out. The house… it’s on fire.” 

 

Chuck’s heart stopped. “You need to hang up with me and call 911, now,” Chuck instructed, trying to stop the shake in his hand. 

 

“Chuck, I’m scared,” Gabriel coughed, and it was clear he wasn’t going to hang up. “Please don’t leave me.” 

 

“It’s gunna be okay, buddy,”  Chuck ran down the hall to Michael’s room, and threw open the door with a loud bang. Michael sat up like a bolt. “Call 911,” he told his nephew. “There’s a fire at Becky Rosen’s house. The address is by the phone downstairs. Gabriel and Uriel are inside.” 

 

Michael didn’t hesitate, he just did what Chuck said and sprang out of bed. Chuck could hear him running down the hallway, thumping down the stairs and picking up the house phone from it’s hook in the kitchen. 

 

“I’m scared,” Gabriel repeated, coughing again. “It’s hot.” 

 

“It’s gunna be alright. Michael is calling the firemen,” Chuck said, his eyes wet with tears. “You have to try and get out, Gabriel. You remember how they taught at school, you gotta crawl on the ground.” 

 

Gabriel started crying, heavying, hiccuping sobs. “I can’t. I’m scared,” 

 

“You gotta try, buddy,” Chuck tried to keep the tears out of his voice. “Where is your brother?” 

 

“In his c-crib,” Gabriel responded. “He’s crying.” 

 

“Gabriel, I know you’re scared, but you can do it.” Chuck replied. “I believe in you. You can do this. Get your brother, and get out. Please, I love you, do it for me.” 

 

Gabriel sniffled. “Okay,” he said finally, and Chuck could hear him moving. There was a thump and then he heard Uriel wail into the phone. “I got him.” 

 

“Good job,” Chuck told him, his heart beating so hard he thought it would crack through his chest wall. “It’s gunna be okay. It’s gunna be alright.” He couldn’t tell if he was saying it for Gabriel’s benefit or for his own. “Crawl out, buddy. On your belly just like at school.” 

 

Chuck heard Uriel sniffling loudly and another loud muffling sound as something brush against the phone receiver. Gabriel was saying something to his brother, but Chuck couldn’t make out the words. There was a loud thump, and then the phone went dead. 

 

“Gabe?” Chuck panicked. “Gabriel? Are you there, buddy?” he asked, but there was no answer, and then he heard the dial tone. He hung up, and tried dialing again, but he kept getting the busy signal. 

 

Gabriel was on his own. 

 

Chuck bounded down the stairs, taking them two steps at a time. His nephews were waiting at the bottom, looking half-awake as they looked at him with questioning eyes. 

 

Michael was still on the phone with 911, and his face was ashen white. “They’re on their way over there,” he told Chuck. “Did he hang up?” 

 

Chuck shook his head. “I think he dropped the phone,” he told him, and Michael relayed the message to the operator. “I’m going over there.” 

 

“I’m coming with you,” Lucifer responded, his distress apparent on his face. 

 

Chuck grabbed his coat. “You stay here and take care of your brothers. I’ll call you when I know what’s going on, I promise.” 

 

For once, Lucifer didn’t fight him, he just nodded, and pulled Raphael, whose eyes were wet with tears, against him. With his nephews taken care of, Chuck grabbed his keys and headed out. 

 

It was fifteen minutes from his house to Becky’s, and they were the longest fifteen minutes of Chuck’s life. He was sweaty and shaking, with a sick feeling in his stomach that threatened to overwhelm him any second. 

 

He had failed Gabriel, completely and utterly failed him. If he had only pushed harder, had only made them see that he was in trouble, none of this would have happened. 

 

He heard the blare of the ambulance before he saw it. There were two fire trucks parked in the street, and Becky Rosen’s house was a towering inferno, smoke billowing out into the night sky. There were firefighters and police milling everywhere and Chuck barely stopped before he turned the car off and jumped out. 

 

He broke into a dead sprint, closing the distance between his car and the police line in matter of seconds. He ducked under, looking around rapidly for any signs that Gabriel made it out. 

 

“Sir!” one of the policemen called. “Sir, you can’t come in here.” 

 

Chuck ignored them. He could feel the heat from the house, as he watched the firefighters rush in with all their gear. Flames licked out of the windows, blackening the outside of the house, and melting the siding. 

 

“You have to get behind the line, Sir,” The policeman told him. 

 

“There are two little boys in there,” Chuck choked, the tears that had been building on the drive over finally overflowing onto his cheeks. “Did you find them?” 

 

“Who are you?” the policeman, whose name badge said “Fitzgerald IV”, asked him. 

 

“I’m… I’m his… I’m their…” Chuck couldn’t breathe as he watched the fire, and the seconds ticked by. None of the firefighters who had gone in had come out yet. “I’m their social worker,” He said finally. “I’m Chuck Shurley. I’m the one who called 911.” 

 

Officer Fitzgerald pulled him towards his police car. “It’ll be okay, Mr. Shurley. They’ll find them.” he said, with a sad smile. “Would you answer some questions for me?” 

 

Chuck didn’t want to answer questions. He wanted Gabriel and Uriel to be okay, he wanted to find Rebecca Rosen and throttle her. “Sure, whatever I can do to help,” he replied instead. 

 

“How old are the boys and what are their names?” Officer Fitzgerald took out a pad and pen from his belt. 

 

“Gabriel Novak, and Uriel Rosen,” Chuck responded, clasping his hands together to keep them from shaking. “Gabriel is 9 and Uriel is 18 months old.” 

 

Officer Fitzgerald scribbled his answers down quickly. “Do you know where their guardian is?” 

 

“No. I don’t know where Becky is. Gabriel told me she left.” Chuck replied, looking over his shoulder to get a peek at the house. 

 

“He told you? How?” Officer Fitzgerald questioned. 

 

“Gabriel called me. He told me the house was on fire, and that his mother was gone. My nephew called 911 while I was on the phone with Gabriel.” Chuck said, trying to control his breathing. None of the firefighters had come out. “I told him that he had to try and get out. He was scared, but he said he was going to try and get out. The phone went dead after that.” 

 

“You told him to get out? How?” 

 

“They did an assembly at school,” Chuck explained. “Of what to do to get out of a fire. We practiced at home, crawling on his belly under the smoke, don’t go out if the doorknob is hot, all those things. But he hasn’t been at this house long… I don’t know if his mother went over it with him and -”

 

Chuck was cut off by shouts as several firefighters came barreling out the doors of the house, and one of them had a body in his arms. Chuck stopped mid-sentences and pushed past Officer Fitzgerald as the paramedics descended on Gabriel. 

 

They had an oxygen mask over his face as they put him on a stretcher, pulling the blanketed bundle from his arms. Chuck could see the damage to the parts he could see were extensive. His skin was red, and raw with black charring around the edges. His face was black with soot, and his head lolled lifelessly to one side as they wheeled him towards the ambulance. 

 

The bundle in the firefighter's arms gave a cry, and the man pulled back the blanket to reveal Uriel’s bright red face. “We got another one!” he cried, depositing the baby gently onto a stretcher. Uriel was in much better shape that Gabriel was, he was alert, and awake, but the paramedics still covered his small face in a oxygen mask. 

 

Chuck rushed forward, trying to get close to Gabriel, but he couldn’t. “I’m his social worker,” Chuck told them. “They’ve got no one else. Please, Please, I need to go with them.” 

 

“You aren’t family,” he was told by one of the paramedics. “You can’t go in the ambulance. We need to go, sir.” 

 

The ambulance drove off with the sirens blaring, leaving Chuck alone in the street behind them. 

 

Chuck looked up at the sky, allowing the tears to flow, as if no one was around him. He prayed, swearing to God, that if he allowed Gabriel to live, Chuck would never let him out of his sight again. 

 

But God, as always, was silent. 


	5. Spring Again

The days that followed were the hardest days of Chuck’s life. 

 

Gabriel hadn’t woken up since they brought him in, and Chuck wasn’t moving from his bedside until he did. He had swore that he would never be parted from him again, and he kept his promises, even if Gabriel wasn’t awake to hear them.

 

Other than being treated for minor smoke inhalation, Uriel was fine. The blanket that Gabriel had wrapped him in was flame-retardant, and it saved his life. The muffled noises that had caused Gabriel to drop the phone was him wrapping his brother up to protect him. 

 

The police found Gabriel’s mother three miles from where her house went up in flames, so strung out from the drugs she’d gone to score that she couldn’t tell the officers her name. Even though the fire was ruled an accident, from the stove she’d left on when she went out, with the child endangerment charges the DA heaped on under Naomi’s influence, it would be a very long time before Rebecca Rosen saw the outside of a jail cell. It would be even longer before she would be allowed to ever see her children again. 

 

There had been a steady stream of visitors when they moved Gabriel from Quarantine to ICU, but Chuck cut the line at Sarah Blake. She had failed Gabriel, allowing Becky to get away with leaving them alone on several occasions. Becky admitted, as part of her sentencing, that she was leaving them alone regularly when she went out from the moment she brought Gabriel back to live with her. If Sarah had taken the time to visit instead of putting it off, Gabriel would have been fine. Chuck knew in his rational mind that she couldn’t have known, but that didn’t make it okay. There was a rumor that she would lose her job over this, but Chuck couldn’t bring himself to care. 

 

His days were spent between home and the hospital. He’d see the boys off to school, and then sit with Gabriel until it was time for him to go home and make dinner. He made sure they were settled for the night before heading back to the hospital until they made him leave. He didn’t want Gabriel to wake up alone, if he woke up at all. The doctors didn’t know how much smoke he inhaled, but after a few days, he was breathing on his own. It looked good, but he hadn’t woken up yet. 

 

Chuck caught whatever sleep he could in his chair at Gabriel’s bedside, because lord knew he couldn’t sleep when he was home. He lay awake for hours just thinking, and instead had begun cleaning and doing all the things that he could be doing during the day. 

 

He was dozing in his chair, when there came a small voice from the bed beside him. 

 

“Daddy?” 

 

Chuck’s eyes snapped open to find Gabriel staring at him, his big golden eyes confused by his surroundings. He was so happy that Gabriel was awake, that he didn’t even register what he had called up until much much later. 

 

“Yeah, buddy,” Chuck responded, wiping a tear from his eye. “I’m here, Gabe.” 

 

“Where am I?” he asked, pulling the oxygen mask off of his face. He tried sitting up, but couldn’t because of all the wires and tubes in his arms. The machines around him were beeping wildly, no doubt alerting the nurses to the fact Gabriel was up. 

 

“You’re at the hospital,” Chuck told him. “You were very very sick, after the fire. Do you remember the fire?” 

 

He nodded his head weakly. “Is Uriel okay?” 

 

Chuck smiled at him. “Uriel is fine, buddy. You saved him,” Chuck said. 

 

“I couldn’t get out,” Gabriel responded, and his voice was thick with tears. “I tried, but it was too hot and-” 

 

“No, no, no,” Chuck stood up and leaned over the bed, kissing Gabriel on his head. He wanted to hold him, but between his burns and the tubes, he could barely touch him for fear of causing him pain. “Gabriel, you did just fine, you hear me? You did perfectly. You got your brother as far as you could. I am so so proud of you.” 

 

“Where is my mom?” was Gabriel’s next question. 

 

“She’s in jail,” Chuck answered truthfully, watching for the boy’s reaction. Regardless of what she had done, she was still his mother. “She’s going to be there for a very long time.” 

 

“So I’m going back to Crawford Hall?” he asked quietly, as one of the nurses knocked on the door. 

 

“No,” Chuck shook his head. “When you’re feeling better, you’re going home, with me.” 

 

~~~~

 

It was another two weeks before the doctors allowed Gabriel to come home, and another two months before he had healed enough for what Chuck had planned. 

 

It was a surprise, and Chuck was surprised they had managed to pull it off with as much secrecy as they had.  Michael, Lucifer and Raphael were more than willing to help him once he told them what he was planning, and Naomi used all of her considerable pull to make it happen. 

 

Chuck took Gabriel and Uriel to the park, saying that the rest of the boys had to stay at home to clean their rooms. Gabriel took this explanation without question, desperate to get to the park after the forced weeks at home. His burns had taken a while to heal and he wasn’t allowed to go outside while they were healing. 

 

They had an enjoyable morning, and Gabriel pouted when it was finally time for them to go home. He didn’t want to leave, not after running all over the place, making a new friend and being allowed to push Uriel in the baby swing. Chuck reminded him it was lunch time, and that he could have ice cream after. It was easier after that. 

 

Gabriel chattered to his little brother as Chuck drove him. It made him happy that Gabriel had taken to Uriel as quickly as he had. There were still a few hiccups along the way, but compared to what had happened before, it was smooth sailing. 

 

The house was dark when Chuck pulled into the driveway. He helped Gabriel out, and unbuckled Uriel from his car seat. Chuck walked up the path way and opened the door, allowing Gabriel to go in before him. 

 

“SURPRISE!” 

 

Chuck’s living room was filled with with family, friends and coworkers, all smiling and happy. The house was decorated with balloons and streamers, and Gabriel’s face was shocked and then went from shocked to surprised. He turned to Chuck. 

 

“It’s not my birthday,” he said, looking at Chuck for an explanation. 

 

“It’s a different kind of party,” Chuck explained, handing Uriel off to Michael. “Come sit with me, and I can give you your present.” 

 

“I get presents!?” Gabriel exclaimed, following Chuck over to his arm chair. 

 

Chuck took the box from the table, and sat down. Gabriel hopped up on his lap, practically salivating at the wrapped confection in front of him. He tore at the ribbons, stripping them from the paper in ten seconds flat. Gabriel ripped the colorful wrapping paper, and opened the box. 

 

He looked at Chuck in confusion as he picked up the stack of paper inside the box. “What’s this?” 

 

“Why don’t you read it?” Chuck urged him, grinning from ear to ear. 

 

“This cert-cert-certifies that Gabriel Novak has been adopt-” Gabriel sniffled and stopped reading. He turned to look at Chuck, and his eyes were filled with tears. “What about Uriel?” 

 

“What about him?” Chuck asked. 

 

“He’s my brother. I can’t leave him,” Gabriel responded, wiping his face on his sleeve. “I won’t go without him.” 

 

Chuck smiled at him. Of course he wouldn’t, he hadn’t expected anything different. “I would have wrapped his up too, but he can’t read yet. You’ll have to do it for him.” 

 

“But what if I’m bad?” Gabriel asked, and Chuck felt him shaking. 

 

“Then you’ll get grounded, just like your brothers,” Chuck laughed. 

 

“You can’t return me.” 

 

“I’ll never want to,” Chuck replied. “Ever. Even if I get mad, I always love you. ” 

 

“You’ll be my dad,” Gabriel said solemnly. “And Luc and Michael and Raphael will be my brothers?” he confirmed. 

 

“If that’s what you want,” Chuck responded. “You belong to us, Gabe, and we belong to you. Forever.” 

 

“Uriel too?” 

 

“Uriel too,” Chuck confirmed. “Both of you forever and always.” 

 

“Daddy?” Gabriel looked up at him, throwing his arms around his neck and squeezing.. “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” 

 

Chuck had never heard anything sweeter. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. ART

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accompanying art by Bluefire986.tumblr.com

[Art by Bluefire986](http://www.bluefire986.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for everyone who made this fic possible. The world needs more "Chuck being a GOOD dad" fic.


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